Supermarket wine supporters tout new study

Proponents of allowing wine to be sold in Tennessee supermarkets and convenience stores are touting a new study that they say suggests that the change would not be linked to increased crime or traffic fatalities.

The study published in the journal Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy finds that if the total amount of alcohol consumed remains constant, a higher share of wine consumption would result in fewer traffic deaths. The opposite is the case for beer, according to the authors from Cornell and Colorado State universities.

Lawmakers this year advanced a wine-in-supermarkets bill further than ever before, but the measure ultimately failed. Under current state law, supermarkets can sell no alcohol stronger than beer, and wine sales are limited to liquor stores.

5 Comments on this post:

They ought to do a study that shows how many people are buying wine from out of state. It is costing the state a lot of tax.

Joe

By:courier37027 on 8/3/13 at 6:54

Two weekends ago in Louisville KY I saw a drive-thru beverage barn open on Sunday. They did not lack for business.

By:courier37027 on 8/3/13 at 2:38

The way some unruly children act at the supermarket, wine sales could lead to drinking parents by check out line time.

By:Rocket99 on 8/5/13 at 7:25

Tennessee's alcohol related laws are so outdated. They all need to be completely redone. We are pretty much the only state in the country where liquor and beer are not sold in the same business. It makes ZERO sense that you purchase liquor and wine in one store but yoy have to go to another store to purchase things like wine openers, drink mixes, etc.

And yes, the selling of wine in grocery and convenience stores will hurt some liqour stores business but, lets face it, most of the wine sold in convenience stores will not be what most people who really enjoy wine would purchase. Stores like Kroger and Publix would carry a higher level of wine than Mapco but still most likely will not have staff trained to help a consumer in their wine selection for dinner.

By:BigPapa on 8/5/13 at 7:50

The TN legislature is bought and sold to the lobbyist, so any thought that this will pass is just wishful thinking.